Sidewalk Paint

HOURS OF SHADY AFTERNOON FUN

This activity was worth its weight in gold. I made a lot of sidewalk paint in different colors and have to say that it was easy, easy easy. The proportion is one cup of corn starch to one cup of cold water. I added Wilton Gel Coloring to the water and mixed it well before pouring it into the corn starch. Then I stirred, stirred, stirred until it was beautiful and bright.

(One box of corn starch contains 2 cups)

As I made it, I used a funnel and poured each batch into spray bottles from the dollar store. HOWEVER, I was glad I had purchased paint trays the same day because the paint didn’t squirt very well. Life was much better after the paint was out of the bottles and I suspect that a squirting war was prevented by this unexpected snag.

There were stencils and rollers and brushes. There were splatters and smears and squiggly lines. There were painted hands and feet but thankfully no painted faces or cars although I can’t see how much would have been harmed if there had been.

I waited for someone to slip.

I waited for someone to cry about paint in his eye.

I waited for a tray to be tipped over.

I waited for a child to drink the paint.

I waited and worried for nothing.

Time just passed and the children just painted.

There was a Picasso or two in the group.

I will do this again. Likely, again and again. Grandpa didn’t mind the mess. Men look at things in terms of clean-up.

When the sun went down, he squirted the driveway with the hose and the corn starch paint dissolved and washed away. The only stubborn color was the blue. Even that eventually faded away under the water.